Repairs will close Fredericton bridge

Fredericton drivers are bracing for a summer of driving headaches as the New Brunswick government plans a $77-million overhaul of the Princess Margaret Bridge.

The Department of Transportation is putting the capital city's drivers on notice that one of the two main bridges to cross the St. John River will be closed from June 19 to Aug. 8, forcing 20,000 vehicles a day to be rerouted.

Provincial and city officials are working with the engineering firm ADI to come up with a plan to cope with traffic problems that will result from the bridge closure.

Transportation Minister Denis Landry said everyone who drives in the city needs to come up with their own solution that works for them.

"Like using more buses, taxis, carpooling and all those things would be a great thing to do," Landry said.

'I'll have to adjust my time and carpool, just like everybody else.' Environment Minister Rick Miles

The Princess Margaret Bridge and the Westmorland Street Bridge are the two main spans that connect Fredericton's north and south sides.

The closure of the Princess Margaret Bridge is expected to boost the amount of traffic on the Westmorland Street Bridge, which is already a rush-hour nightmare for many Fredericton drivers, by up to 50 per cent.

Environment Minister Rick Miles said he is already strategizing on how he's going to get from his riding on the city's south side to his ministerial office across the river in Marysville.

"I'll have to adjust my time and carpool, just like everybody else," Miles said.

The New Brunswick government, which employs thousands of workers on both sides of the St. John River, is considering different options that couldreduce morning traffic.

Finance Minister Greg Byrne, who represents a riding on the city's south side, said the provincial government would consider flextime for its employees as a way to change traffic patterns.

"If that would help alleviate some of that traffic, or any other measure would alleviate some of that traffic, I think we'd have to certainly take a look at it," Byrne said.

Boon to the economy

Although the province's transportation minister acknowledges the bridge closure will be a major inconvenience to drivers, there is a positive side.

Landry said the $77-million project, which will involve work on the bridge piers, the deck, the trusses, and the bridge bearings as well as sandblasting and painting, will be a boon to the city's economy.

"It's great for the people that work in those projects. It's good for the people that are waiting for doing some paving, like the construction companies and all those things like people who are working there as flag-persons, and everybody," Landry said.